The Simplest Way to Give Back this Holiday Season

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

This post was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Over the years we have tried to do one big act of service during the holiday season. In 2012, we filled up a homeless man's cart full of food on our way out of town on Thanksgiving weekend. In 2013, we gathered $1,000 worth of toiletries for the victims of the large hurricane that struck the Philippians that year. In 2014, we gave of our time at a local food bank, and other community efforts that were going on, and we've done the same in 2015, and this year as well. Each year our service is a little different, depending on what we can afford, and what our circumstances look like with our kids and our availability to give back. While we've certainly given to many charitable organizations throughout this holiday season, I'm still hoping to squeeze in one last service project before Christmas Day next week.

As we speak, our family is supposed to be nestled in a gorgeous resort in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, but after spending six hours in the airport, and having our flights canceled, we were sent home to try again tomorrow. While we were in the airport with loads of time to spare, we found ourselves with the capacity to give back on an entirely different level thanks to an amazing app we've been introduced to.

One really easy way to give back is to download the "Donate a Photo" app by Johnson and Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn't reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.The app is free to download and all you have to do is upload a picture to one of the causes, and Johnson and Johnson will donate one of whatever the listed item is to that person, or group in need. Since the app launched in 2013, over 1.7 million photos have been donated by almost 180,000 people. It's amazing to see how much good can be done by such a large group of people.

Another amazing way to give back is to purchase a gift through the Save the Children"Gifts of Joy" catalog. Johnson and Johnson matches each gift donated building on a 3-year and $10 million commitment. My favorite thing is that the products purchases go directly to bettering the health and hygiene needs of newborns and pregnant women, and that Johnson and Johnson advocates at an international level with policy makers to invest dollars into bettering the conditions of newborns and maternal health at a global level.

So if you're lacking on your good deeds this holiday season, or are simply interested in a small, easy way that you can give back, look into the "Gifts of Joy" program, or simply download the "Donate a Photo" app where you can simply upload a picture to a cause you feel passionate about, and you can directly impact the life of someone in need.